Character Relationship Map: The Secrets We Keep

Characters

• Maja (played by Noomi Rapace) — protagonist

  Maja is a Romanian refugee living in postwar America with her husband, Lewis, and their son, Patrick. Haunted by wartime trauma, she abducts Thomas, whom she believes is a Nazi criminal, interrogates...

• Thomas (played by Joel Kinnaman) — protagonist

  Thomas is a Swiss-born man whom Maja identifies as a former German soldier involved in wartime atrocities. He denies her accusations and claims to have been in Zürich, but later confesses that he part...

• Lewis (played by Chris Messina) — supporting

  Lewis is Maja's American husband and Patrick's father, working at a clinic. Although disturbed by Maja's abduction and interrogation of Thomas, he helps restrain and transport him. After Thomas confes...

• Rachel (played by Amy Seimetz) — supporting

  Rachel is Thomas's wife and lives with him and their two children. She joins the search after Thomas disappears and later speaks with Maja about his reluctance to discuss his past. Her wedding ring, e...

• Miriah (played by Miluette Nalin) — supporting

  Miriah is Maja's sister and one of the women harmed during the wartime violence remembered through Maja's flashbacks. Maja recalls that Miriah was shot and left behind, although she does not remember...

• Patrick (played by Jackson Dean Vincent) — minor

  Patrick is Maja and Lewis's young son, living with them as Maja struggles with recurring nightmares and memories of the war. He is part of the family life Maja has built in America, representing the d...

• Neighbor (played by Michelle L. Clarke) — minor

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Lewis → Patrick (Family Father) — Lewis is Patrick's father.

  Patrick is identified as the young son of Maja and Lewis.

• Maja → Patrick (Family Mother) — Maja is Patrick's mother within the family she has created after the war.

  Maja has built a new life with Lewis and their young son, Patrick.

• Maja → Miriah (Family Sister) — Miriah's death is central to Maja's memories and motivation.

  Maja reveals that her sister Miriah was among the women killed during the war.

• Thomas → Rachel (Romantic Spouse) — Thomas and Rachel are married, though Thomas conceals his wartime past.

  Thomas has a wife named Rachel, and Rachel searches for her missing husband.

• Lewis → Thomas (Power Captor) — Lewis becomes involved in restraining Thomas against his initial moral hesitation.

  Lewis incapacitates Thomas after he attempts to escape and later helps hold him in the basement.

• Maja → Lewis (Romantic Spouse) — Maja and Lewis are married, but her trauma places severe pressure on their relationship.

  Maja has built a new life with her American husband, Lewis.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Maja → Rachel (Social Investigative Acquaintance) — Maja uses her contact with Rachel to investigate Thomas's identity and history.

  Maja visits Rachel at her home twice and questions her about Thomas's past.

• Neighbor → Thomas (Unknown Search Witness) — The neighbor's response creates outside pressure on the captors.

  Neighbor is awakened by Thomas's yell and later accompanies police and Rachel while searching for Thomas and the source of the screaming.

• Maja → Neighbor (Social Deceiver) — Maja deceives the neighbor to conceal Thomas's captivity.

  After Neighbor is awakened by Thomas's yelling, Maja convinces Neighbor that the sound came from the street.

• Maja → Thomas (Conflict Captor And Suspect) — Maja identifies Thomas as a former soldier responsible for wartime crimes.

  Maja knocks Thomas out, hides him in a trunk, and interrogates him as a suspected Nazi war criminal.

Story Analysis

A traumatized refugee confronts a suspected wartime criminal, forcing a family to choose between justice, truth, and concealment.

Plot Progression

1. A Shadow In America — Maja lives with Lewis and Patrick while nightmares preserve the violence of her past. Recognizing Thomas as a possible former German soldier leads her to abduct him.
2. The Basement Trial — Maja reveals her wartime memories to Lewis and forces him into Thomas's captivity. Thomas denies his identity while an escape attempt attracts attention from the neighborhood.
3. Evidence And Memory — Lewis finds evidence supporting Thomas's Swiss identity, but Maja continues the interrogation. Flashbacks and Miriah's death deepen the emotional stakes.
4. The Ring's Hidden Meaning — Maja investigates Rachel and notices the Star of David inside her wedding ring. Thomas's attempted shooting confirms that the captive remains dangerous and desperate.
5. Confession In The Pit — Maja and Lewis take Thomas to a pit outside town and demand the truth. Thomas confesses, Lewis kills him, and the couple buries both the body and their secret.